Healing Benefits of Dreaming and my favorite sleep ritual

When was the last time that you had a good dream? Do you even remember it? 

I recently learned that back in ancient Roman/ Greek times, they actually used dreaming as a form of healing. They would send you off to a dark room to sleep and dream, so that in your dream, you could find the answers to heal yourself.

Centuries later, many used dreams as sign posts/tailsman for when you go to war, when to act, when a girl was going to get her period so she could be sent off to wed, etc. 

Dreams have been incredible tools for so many throughout centuries. 

Even today, we hear stories of people who’ve learned from their dreams or been inspired by them. Think of Paul McCartney’s story of how his hit song “Yesterday” came to him in a dream or of Mendeleev’s construction of the periodic table of elements was inspired in his dream. 

I’ve personally experienced the healing power and spiritual support of connecting to and listening to my dreams. My dreams have literally changed my life. I actually had a dream about wearing and making crystal jewelry that had me launch my business, and not too long ago I was told in my dream that I was meant to help heal women & help them get on their right path by reading them their birth charts. (These things don't always come to your busy, rational, logical and judgmental mind) 

When you allow yourself to heal yourself and your life through dreaming, its called "dream therapy". Google it. It's a thing! 

"Research shows that dreaming is not just a byproduct of sleep, but serves its own important functions in our well-being."

6 benefits of Dream Therapy

• Conscious and subconscious balancing. A major benefit of dream therapy is the strengthening of the subconscious and conscious mind. Psychologist Carl Jung called it “harmonic mental tuning”.

• Insight into mood. Dreams can be a reflection of what we are feeling at the subconscious level and what our deeper needs might be letting us know.

• Exploring symbolism. By keeping a dream notebook handy and recording different symbolism, you may be able to identify various themes that indicate where you need healing or where you need to focus attention. You can ask yourself: What is the central message?

• Sparks creativity.  If you are in a creative slump, dream therapy may help to spark creativity or give you a new idea to put in to motion.

• Positive self-care ritual. A major benefit of dream therapy is the habit of a positive self-care ritual, journaling. By allowing five to ten minutes a day for journaling, you carve out time to focus exclusively on you. Some people immediately write down themes from dreams upon waking and then use the symbols as part of a morning meditation.

• Internal conflict awareness. The Hellenistic era Greeks practiced something called dream incubation. Thats where you self-reflect on a specific concern and then write it down before going to sleep. Upon awaking, record whatever images pop up from your memory. Doing so may be helpful in shining a light on internal conflicts or life challenges.

My go-to ritual for lucid dreaming

My dream story: I’ve been connected to my dreams ever since I was young. We had a family member pass away when I was very young and he would often appear to me in my dreams. He would show up with messages for my family members. I mentioned it once and it was dismissed, so I never really shared the messages I would get but one time something very interesting happened.

One night this uncle appeared in my dream telling me to call a distant family member to tell them he loved them. So, that next morning I called that family member and it happened to be that family members birthday and that family member had recently gone to visit his grave site. It gave me chills.

Because of that, I’ve always paid attention to my dreams and the messages within them. I often look to my dreams to help unlock answers or hidden insights for any questions/situations life may bring.

Every once and a while I will notice that my dreams don’t always come to awareness when I wake up. Sometimes I don’t dream at all. When I find myself in those “dry dream” periods I use the following steps to help me boost my sleep so as to help me dream.

1. Eat a light dinner. When our bodies are full of harsh chemicals, heavy carbs, alcohol or toxins, it takes up a lot of energy to digest so it’s harder for our mind/body connection make it to the type of sleep we need to dream. Keep your body clean. I like to drink a lot of warm tea to help me sleep. I like peppermint, ashwaganda & I love to add honey.
   2. Take a salt bath. Bathing is a purification ritual. Hot baths help your body detox and relax. Magnesium salts soothe and purify your skin. You always want to be clean & prepared for a deep sleep.
   3. Grab a journal and pen. In the journal, you’ll write the questions you would like answered in your dream. You can say things like “I’d like clarity on this situation. God, show me the way” or “I’m looking to create more wealth in my life. What is the easiest path for me?” Dump your questions in your journal. Keep your journal and pen on your nightstand so you can wake up and record your dream immediately.
   4. Turn down the lights. For at least 30 minutes before bed, dim the lights or put on a Himalayan salt lamp. The soft light helps your brain prepare for the proper sleep. 10 minutes before bed (at least) you must have no blue light on your eyes. Turn off the TV, iPhone, iPad. Clear your eyes of that blue light distraction.
   5. Write what you remember from your dreams immediately. The most important information is what you dream just before you wake up. So the most recent dream carries the most gold!
   

   I recorded a podcast on this topic to take you a little bit further into the psychological benefits of dreaming! Listen and let me know what you think…